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Then the question becomes, "What event, and what effect?" (Along, perhaps, with "On what scale?") To my knowledge there is no defined and commonly-accepted designation for people born between the Korean conflict and 1965; the Baby Boom segues directly to Generation X. I was born in 1964 to parents who were certainly old enough to be the parents of undisputed Boomers... so for me it's a comfortable label.
Those Boomers born in the late '50s who deny being Boomers bring up the decline in the birth rate from 1958 on and the end of the draft as disqualifying them from Boomer status.
There's also a test of sorts - anyone who can't remember Kennedy's assassination isn't a Boomer. (Is there a similar test with 9/11 and Millenials?)
The boom in Western Europe lasted longer, though ; I suspect '64 might be a Euro definition.
I was actually being polite in my post but really...1964 designated as the boomer cutoff year for 20+ years now. Perhaps more. Pathetic what the Internet has done to make common knowledge disputed and unread folk experts.
Those Boomers born in the late '50s who deny being Boomers bring up the decline in the birth rate from 1958 on and the end of the draft as disqualifying them from Boomer status.
There's also a test of sorts - anyone who can't remember Kennedy's assassination isn't a Boomer.
I'd go along with that. I'd also say that anyone who too young to have an opinion of the Korean War while it was ongoing but old enough to have an opinion of the Vietnam war while that war was ongoing is a Boomer.
Quote:
Is there a similar test with 9/11 and Millenials?)
A Millennial is anyone who can't remember a time before the World Wide Web.
I'd go along with that. I'd also say that anyone who too young to have an opinion of the Korean War while it was ongoing but old enough to have an opinion of the Vietnam war while that war was ongoing is a Boomer.
A Millennial is anyone who can't remember a time before the World Wide Web.
Or who think they're the only generation to suffer unemployment and a multi-year recession.
I'd go along with that. I'd also say that anyone who too young to have an opinion of the Korean War while it was ongoing but old enough to have an opinion of the Vietnam war while that war was ongoing is a Boomer.
A Millennial is anyone who can't remember a time before the World Wide Web.
I was born long after the Korean War and roughly nine months after JFK was killed, but I definitely had an opinion about the war in Vietnam while it was still happening, as I was already in the double-digit age bracket when it ended. Hard to avoid current events discussion in my family, and we had our share of military veterans including my dad.
Guess I pass the test after all, or well enough for most demographers.
I'm in high school now and I've looked at yearbooks of my school from various decades as well as my parents yearbooks and the teenagers looked extremely old. My parents both went to school in the 70s and they certainly didn't look like me at 16. I look at the faces of the teenagers in the yearbooks and they could easily pass for a 40 year old even 50 year old if they look really old (which a lot do). Every other guy had a mustache and a lot even had beards and the girls looked like middle aged women. I know they had different hairstyles and wore different clothes them but they just had faces that didn't look youthful at all. Teenagers now look so much younger than teenagers of any other generation. I noticed that teenagers now are much shorter and look much younger. I'd say a lot of teens now could pass for 10-12 year olds. It's quite strange how teens didn't start looking young until about the mid 90s. Does anyone have a logical explanation for all of this?
It could be your perception changing as you get older yourself. I remember when I was in elementary school and the middle school students seemed like young adults in my eyes. Once I began high school, the middle school students after me seemed kinda babyfaced.
Maybe in the 70s, more teens smoked, and that can age people. Smoking isn't as acceptable today for teens or adults, it's out of style compared to back then. Maybe more of them were on recreational drugs in the 70s compared to now, and that can be aging. Facial hair will make boys look older for sure. For girls back then, center parts, no bangs, thinly tweezed eyebrows were in, maybe perms too, which aren't all that youthful.
I was a teen in the 80s. The hairstyles for girls that were in at the time were short. The clothes were boxy and androgynous. That adds up to "frumpy". I get kind of sad if I go back and watch some old teen movie from the 80s, because I felt like our youth was wasted dressing like a middle-aged housewife before our time. Can't say much for the boys.
After the 90s, teen girls' clothing styles got sexier, much to their parents' disappointment, I imagine. Lower rise jeans with thong panty peeking out, skinny jeans, "juicy" printed on the backside of sweatpants, short skirts etc. Also, more teens now use the Manic Panic haircolors. Nothing middle-aged about that look.
Another thing about teens from the 70s looking older:
You may be watching too many "Welcome Back, Kotter" reruns. Damn, those sweathogs looked old for teens.
My mom went to HS in 40's and really, she looked 30 when she was 13. Black and white photo, dark lipstick, heavily drawn on eyebrows, hair in a wave....everyone WANTED to look older. It wasn't just something that occurred, it was on purpose.
I think in the older days, there wasn't really a distinctive style of clothing and hair just for teens. Preadulescense, you dressed and did your hair like a kid. Once puberty was underway, you dressed and groomed like a mature adult. I think the popularity of jeans changed that, along with girdles and beehive hairdos falling out of fashion.
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